At a Moment's Notice
by HamPickleSandwich
Summary: My second 9 fic. Suggested 9/7 at the end. 9 belongs to Shane Acker, and I don't own the poem either- I found it months ago, on the net. Oneshot.


It was not often that 9 found himself with absolutely nothing to do or say. It wasn't like he didn't like being able to relax once in a while- we all liked that. It was the fact that nothing could be done, that nothing could be performed to improve our lives somehow. 9 was just one of those people who did something constructive, or did nothing at all. Today was one of those days; and you couldn't blame him- we had nothing to hide from, nothing to fight for. Our enemies were gone. I found him, splayed on the floor with who else but 5, staring at the ceiling. I leaned against my new cane, smiling.

"5?"

"Yes, 9?" came the other boy's reply.

"Do you ever wonder if there is more to life than this? I mean, we have completed our mission. So what's in store for us now?"  
There was a silence from the mechanic as he pondered this philosophy. Neither 5 or 9 made an effort to move, or speak, so I decided to make my presence known by approaching them.

"Oh, hello there." 9 said as I sat down beside them. 5 glanced at me and smiled.

"You know, anything could be in store for our kind, 9." I began. 9 and 5 immediately turned and sat, crossing their legs like human children about to be told a story. I leaned on one arm for support.

"You did say before that we have completed our mission, but that was merely one obstacle which we were to face." I pointed out- 5 let out a cry of disappointment.

"You mean that there are MORE machines out there?!" he nearly yelled. I pretended not to hear the string of profanities which were grumbled under his breath.

"No, 5. Well, for all we know there could be- but I wasn't referring to that! Our mission- as was told to 9 by our creator was to 'protect the future'."

"But we have! We're protecting it right now!" 9 protested. I laughed at his naiveté.

"Not exactly. What the Professor meant was to protect the future of humanity, not just the future of our own kind. We most likely have to search for humans, and if we cannot find any, we must find a way to bring them back." I explained to 9, who's look of confusion changed to wonder before my eyes. 5 still looked concerned, his gaze becoming blank.

"Of course, there are... other things..." I said, though more to myself. _'It's impossible, though.'_ I thought. _'There have been no signs yet, so how could it happen now?'_

"O-other things?" 9 stuttered, obviously a little afraid of the way I had said it. 5 laughed- he and I had discussed this before. I shook my head, frowning at 5's immaturity. Now that I had brought it up, it was... it was probably time to tell 9 what I had told 5, eons ago.

"Do you know what it is that 3 and 4 like to do best?" I asked, once 5 had calmed down somewhat. 9 shrugged, obviously unsure how my question was relevant to the current subject.

"You would have noticed that they read much more than the rest of us do." I prompted.

"You mean... they have a favourite type of book?" he queried, leaning in a little closer. I nodded.

"Precisely. You see, 9, books have categories, or genres, as the humans called them. 3 and 4 found a whole pile of books which they found most pleasing to them."

"TRASH!" 5 blurted, sending him into a new wave of guffaws. I rolled my optics.

"Trash books?" 9 asked, becoming a little impatient with the discussion.

"5 doesn't really appreciate those books- you know that they make 3 and 4 happy! I myself wouldn't call them trash, however those other books that they found..." I trailed off, shaking my head. Now THAT I didn't want to remember. Even getting my soul put into that tiny box was better to reflect upon. 9 started drumming his fingers against his knee anxiously.

"Then what kind of books do 3 and 4 like to read?"

"Not just any books." 5 said ominously, before going back to his laughing fit.

"3 and 4 found a particular type of book that suits their tastes best- books which have passion, sacrifice, and happiness. Books that are based on one theme- romance." I informed 9, who finally stopped fidgeting. He looked worried; leaning in a little closer.

"Is this something I shouldn't know about?" he asked. It was my turn to laugh.

"Gracious, 9! There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with having knowledge on the subject of romance! Romance was one of the many things the humans needed most! Men craved the knowledge of how to woo the women, who equally craved the love and compassion from their male counterparts! Romance is the reason why humanity lasted so long before the wars, 9." I explained.

"Love?" he said quietly. 5 finally calmed down, gasping for air. He settled for snickering quietly into his hand. I nodded at 9 before I thought through my explanation. How was I going to explain love to the young neophyte? My only idea was to show him the page which had fallen out of one of the books which 3 and 4 had given me to fix. I did so with slight awkwardness, pulling the confused 9 away from 5, who had again begun laughing, though this time it was so that he made no noise. How the boy could keep laughing for 5 minutes straight, I'll never know.  
The tattered book lay open on the very page which I wanted to find, surprisingly.

"My luck must be taking a turn for the better." I joked as I pulled a chain, turning on the light bulb above us. I climbed up upon the bench with some help from my companion, who then followed. It was perhaps three days ago when 3 and 4 had brought the book to our workshop, with the help of 8. They had begged me to try and fix it... so far that goal hadn't been accomplished yet. The book of love poems wasn't that thick, but was still ironically useful. It would teach 9 well.

"Read it." I instructed 9 quietly. He gave me a strange look before reading aloud.

"Love is the greatest feeling,  
Love is like a play,  
Love is what I feel for you,  
Each and every day." he paused to take a breath, and kept talking. He didn't seem to notice the new voice that spoke along with him- feminine and self assured.

"Love is like a smile,  
Love is like a song,  
Love is a great emotion,  
That keeps us going strong-?" 9 stopped suddenly at the sound of the new voice. 7 didn't notice, and kept speaking. She was leaning against the doorframe, quite casually.

"I love you with my heart,  
My body and my soul,  
I love the way I keep loving,  
Like a love I can't control,  
So remember when your eyes meet mine,  
I love you with all my heart,  
And I have poured my entire soul into you,  
Right from the very start."

There was silence in the room as 9 remained frozen to the spot. I could feel sudden warmth in the room from the young neophyte which stood next to me. 5 clapped quite abruptly.

"That was wonderful, 9." I said, patting him on the back. Strangely, 9 snapped out of his frozen state, seeming to twitch a little. Quite nervously, he climbed down from the bench.

"Um, ah... I-I have to, ah, to go. I promised 6 I, um, would, see something for him..." he stuttered, avoiding everyone's gaze. 7 looked at him curiously as he quickened his pace past her. The strangest part of all was that 9- 9 who was so sure of himself- kept tripping over his own feet as he approached the doorway! _'Is this the feeling that was discussed in the books that 3 and 4 read?'_ I thought, glancing over at 5. He was equally confused by 9's actions as well.

_Was this love at a moment's notice? _


End file.
